Operation Kaio Blitzkrieg
by flaretempest
Summary: Currently being revised/rewritten. Kept up for archival purposes.
1. Chapter 1

**This story has a radically different tone from that of my others. It probably is a mistake to post this; working on three fics at a time doesn't seem like a good idea. But whatever, I'll manage.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon and am in no way affiliated with the various parties who do.  
**

* * *

He was sitting at his desk, staring intently at the lines of computer code that scrolled by on his computer's screen. He was alone in his office. The room was pitch black, the only light coming from the monitor of his computer. The only was sound was the humming of his computer and the occasional tapping of the keyboard. Alone in the dark. Just the way he liked it.

A night owl by disposition, he was one of the few people left in the towering skyscraper. The clock hanging on the wall behind him read 2:47 AM. But he was oblivious to the passing of time. Work had to be done. But he didn't mind. He loved his job.

The hacker had gotten farther into the network than he expected, coming close to breaching the security program that he had set up. But he wasn't upset. Instead, he was actually quite impressed. Nobody had ever come so close to hacking the network he guarded. His enemies were getting smarter.

However, there was something unusual about this particular hack, something that set it above the dozens of other attempted hacks his employer's network received every day. He tapped a button on the keyboard, instantly causing the lines of scrolling code to come to a screeching halt. He scrolled up until he found the line that had given him pause. When he saw what the code said, his stare hardened.

Of course, he knew what the code meant. But that only caused the gears in his brain to crank faster. The Boss was asleep, and would not take too kindly to being awakened for something that could very well be a trivial matter. He decided to check it out himself.

Typing and clicking away, he found the file that the hacker's code specified. As his mouse hovered over it, ready to open it, he hesitated. The file belonged to the Operations branch of the organization. He was a techie. He wasn't supposed to be meddling in Operations business. But it was a matter of network security, and that was his area of expertise. And even if someone did find out that he opened the file, he was far too important to be 'taken care of', as the Operations people called it. After a moments more hesitation, he clicked on the file, and it filled the screen. He looked over his shoulder at the clock behind him. 3:11 AM. He had time.

_File #: O-20791-05_

_Operation Kaio Blitzkrieg_

_Objective: Boost Kyogre's ability to control the ocean in order to flood the world._

_Phase I: Research Pokemon capable of boosting Kyogre's power. _

_Current candidates: _

_Manaphy: Appears to be able to summon Kyogre at will and has demonstrated extensive control over water in repeated incidents._

_Jirachi: As observed from the 'Butler Incident', has the power to transfer enourmous quantities of energy from itself to another._

_Mew: Appears to share traits with Jirachi. Energy transfer is unconfirmed, but highly likely._

_Celebi: Has demonstrated extreme control over nature in the 'Vicious Incident'. Said power is able to be easily harnessed._

_Unown: Has shown extreme control over psychic energy in the 'Hale Incident'. Unknown if said power can be harnessed._

_Phase II: Capture and interrogate people who have had extensive contact with subjects listed in Phase I._

_Ash Ketchum: Has had contact with all subjects listed. Believed to have extremely close bond with Manaphy, Mew, and Celebi. Capture will take place when he returns to Pallet Town after the conclusion of the Sinnoh League, estimated 1 week._

_Brock Harrison: Has had contact with all subjects listed, but does not share bond believed to occur in Ash Ketchum. Capture will take place when he returns to Pallet Town with Ash Ketchum, estimated 1 week._

_Misty Waterflower: Has had contact with Mew, Celebi, and Unown. Capture will occur in Pallet Town in 1 week._

_Molly Hale: Has had contact with Unown. Only known person with experience controlling Unown's power. Capture is planned but unlikely; security around her is too high._

_Samuel Oak: Has had contact with Celebi. Believed to have developed close bond with said subject. Capture is unplanned; is unlikely to remember events pertaining to subject._

_May Maple: Has had contact with Jirachi and Manaphy. Believed to have close bond with Manaphy. Captured 3 weeks ago, but hasn't talked. Will have to resort to more aggressive interrogation techniques in near future._

_Max Maple: Has had contact with Jirachi and Manaphy. Believed to have close bond with Jirachi. Captured 3 weeks ago, but hasn't talked. Will have to resort to more aggressive interrogation techniques in near future._

After reading the two entries on May and Max Maple, he stopped. He couldn't go on. Even though he wasn't in Operations, he watched enough television to know that 'aggressive interrogation techniques' were going to be extremely painful. Guilt washed over him, as it always did when he heard of his employer's latest exploits. But unlike the last time he felt it, the guilt didn't instantly fade away.

What was different about this time was that this latest exploit involved people that were the same age as him. Sure, he knew that his organization hurt plenty of people, but any time that someone younger than him was hurt, it was only from accidental collateral damage. Never before had they been involved as direct victims.

He stood up from his chair, feeling quite terrible. Perhaps he would feel better after getting some sleep.

* * *

Back in his apartment, he tossed and turned, trying to get to sleep. It didn't work; his insomnia was acting up again. Giving up on trying to get some natural sleep, he grabbed a couple of sleeping pills from the bedside table and swallowed them whole, falling asleep almost instantly.

_A young boy kneeled at the foot of a tombstone, tears flowing freely from his eyes. The gray sky above him seemed to echo his sadness, rain falling heavily around him, soaking him to the core. The sheer weight of the water caused his dark brown hair, normally unruly and hard to tame, to stick to his head like a helmet. It was almost impossible to see that his eyes were a deep brown; they were filled to the brim with tears._

_His father was his mentor. His father was his role model. His father was now lying six feet underground._

Then scene blacked out, as if someone had spilled ink on a blank paper. Soon, the blackness cleared, revealing a new scene.

_An older-looking version of the boy was sitting in a booth in an empty corner of an otherwise packed restaurant. His clothing was in tatters, and he was a lot skinnier than before._

"_Can you pay for your meal, kid?" asked a waiter who had approached his table. The disdain in his voice was evident._

"_I… I…. I'm sorry…. But I can't…" the boy stammered out nervously. "I… I don't have any money."_

"_Then I'm going to have to ask you to leave," said the waiter, not too politely._

_Sighing dejectedly, the boy stood up and grabbed a duffle bag containing, aside from his clothes, his only possessions: a long-empty wallet, a worn map of Hoenn, a stumpy pencil, a shabby notebook, and three Poke Balls. Inside the Poke Balls were his only friends in the world: a Duskull named Grim, a Tropius named Saur, and a Linoone named Perp. He caught them with his dad, which made them more important to him than anything else in the world. But he couldn't help but feel that he failed them. They were out of food; and Saur couldn't grow fruit fast enough to keep them fed._

_The boy walked out of the restaurant, so engrossed in his thoughts that he didn't notice the two men walking towards until he bumped into one of them._

"_S-s-sorry about that, sir," he said apologetically as he stepped aside for the pair to pass by him._

_The man he bumped examined him, noticing his tattered clothes._

"_Kid, would you like some food?" he asked._

Once again, the scene changed.

_The boy was sitting in a cafeteria, with a platter of burgers resting on the table in front of him. His Pokemon were sitting in a cleared space, with bowls of Pokefood before them. But they didn't eat, instead waiting for their trainer._

"_Sir, this is all very kind of you, but I don't really deserve this," he mumbled._

_The man he bumped into earlier was sitting across the table from him. He laughed at the boy's remark. "Don't deserve it? Kid, you need to eat. What makes you think you don't deserve this food?"_

"_Well, I-"_

"_Wait a minute," interrupted the man. "We need to set things straight first. What's your name?"_

"_My name? Nobody's asked for my name in while," he admitted sadly. "My name is Alex."_

"_Alex? A fine name. My name is Archie." The man paused. "Why aren't you eating your food?"_

_Alex thought he recognized the man's name, but he put that thought to the back of his head. "Well sir, you're being very kind, but I barely know you, and I-"_

_Archie cut him off. "Are you saying you don't trust me?" he asked, a slight hint of anger creeping into his voice. As he said this, the rest of the people in the room turned towards their table, watching with apprehension._

_This was not unnoticed by Alex; he shrunk back into his seat. "Well… to be honest, yes," he said rather weakly._

_Archie broke out a booming laugh, and the tension in the cafeteria dissipated. "Good, good! If I was in your position, I wouldn't trust me, either! But there is no need to not trust me. After all, I could've done you in during the time you were following me in here."_

"_Oh… right," mumbled an embarrassed Alex. And with those words, he tentatively picked up one of the burgers and took a small bite, and before he knew it, he was finished eating it and picked a new up. His Pokemon guessed this meant the food was safe to eat, and they dug hungrily into their own food._

_Soon, the platter was empty, and Alex was leaning back in his chair, a contented expression on his face._

"_So, have you had enough to eat?" asked Archie, a big grin plastered on his face._

"_Yes, more than enough. Thank you for your kindness, sir," replied Alex, extremely grateful._

"_So Alex," Archie said in a businesslike tone, "Have you heard of Team Aqua?"_

"_I've heard of them, but I don't know much about them. I just know that they're a gang who wants to create a huge habitat for water Pokemon to live in. I think they're led by someone named…" he voice trailed off as recognition dawned on him._

_Archie filled the silence. "Yes, you are correct. I am the leader of Team Aqua," he said as he flashed Alex a grin. "And I would like to know if you'd be interested in joining my organization."_

_Alex was speechless for a moment. Of course, he had the sense to not tell Archie everything else he had heard about Team Aqua: how they were a bunch of criminals. He knew that if he didn't accept Archie's 'offer' he'd probably be dead by the next sunrise. But he still remembered what his father had taught him about honor and respect, and those were two values that Team Aqua didn't seem to have. But then, he glanced over at his Pokemon, who had finished eating their first proper meal in weeks. His father had also taught him that he needed to take good care of his Pokemon and treat them as equals. And if that's what he was going to do, he didn't have much of a choice. It was either join Team Aqua, or leave his Pokemon to fend for themselves. He made his choice._

"_I'll join."_

"_Good, good. We are always in need of new members," said Archie as he flashed another grin. "So, what are you good at?"_

_  
Alex thought hard for a few seconds, but couldn't think of anything. Then, he remembered how his dad, a retired computer systems engineer, had taught him everything he needed to know about how a computer works._

"_I'm pretty good at using computers."_

_

* * *

Team Aqua Member Profile_

_Name: Alexander Flare_

_Gender: Male_

_Age: 15_

_Position: Unofficial Head of Data Security, Unofficial Head of Information Systems Hacking_

_Bio: Born in Verdanturf Town. Mother died shortly after his birth, raised by father. Father died when subject was 7 years old. Custody of subject was transferred to relatives, who were physically and emotionally abusive. Subject ran away from home at age 8. Wandered randomly throughout Hoenn before ending up in Lilycove City. Joined Team Aqua after being offered by Archie. Very knowledgeable in subject of Computer Science. Rose quickly in ranks due to this knowledge. Now is in-charge of keeping Team Aqua's computer systems secure and is the acknowledged 'go-to guy' for computer hacking._

_Comments: Archie- "While he is invaluable when it comes to our computer needs, he should be kept away from the Operations branch of our organization. He is too soft and has too much of a conscience to be of any use in those areas."_

_

* * *

_**Well, how the first chapter? Good? Bad? Decent? I can't promise when the next chapter will be up, so I'll give a standard "When it's done."**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon and am in no way affiliated with the various parties who do.**

* * *

Alex sat at the counter, impatiently waiting for the barman to serve him. He needed a drink to clear his head.

After what seemed like a century, the barman finally turned to him.

"Well, can I help you?" he asked, a little rude. The boy sitting in the stool opposite him was obviously underage. He would have to speak to the manager about getting a more observant bouncer.

Alex scowled. He was at _The Ursaring_, an infamous underworld bar. All the staff and regular patrons knew who he was and what he did. Clearly, this was a new barman.

"I would like a vodka," he said.

The barman gave an involuntary shiver. Outwardly, the boy appeared to be a completely normal teenager. He wore a steel blue sport jacket over a dark green t-shirt, worn blue jeans, and similarly worn tennis shoes. His brown hair was grown absurdly long in the style of the present time; in the back it was almost three-quarters of the way down his neck, and in front it beginning to brush his eyebrows. Completely normal.

"Look, kid. I don't know what you're trying to pull, but it's quite clear that you are underage. Get out now, or I'll have you thrown out," he said forcefully.

Alex's eyes hardened into a glare. "Do you know what I do?" he asked.

The barman shivered again. The voice- it was cold, distant monotone. He had never heard a voice that sounded like that. But he wasn't about to be intimidated by some teenage punk. He glanced over to Charlie, the bouncer, who had heard their entire exchange. But for some reason, Charlie was staring at the boy with an expression that looked almost like fear. Then, the barman took time give the boy a closer examination, and he noticed something odd: rows and rows of 1's and 0's adorned the boy's t-shirt.

"_Oh, shit!_" the barman thought. "_It's HIM!_" A look of sheer terror had placed itself on his face.

"I take it you have finally taken the time to give me a closer look," said Alex. "When I first visited this bar, a man laughed at me and called me a 'nerd' for wearing a t-shirt that was covered with binary. Now, no one laughs."

The barman felt a drop of sweat slide down the back of his neck. He had heard the story of what happened to the man. The man had woken up the next day to find out that all electronic records of his existence had been deleted. And 'all' meant _all_; his birth certificate, his trainer registration, his bank account… all were gone. It was as if he never existed in the first place.

"But… you're underage…," whimpered the barman, a last pathetic attempt.

"Sir, in case you haven't noticed by now, this is an infamous underworld bar. Lots of illegal dealings occur here," Alex said, sounding like a teacher giving a lecture. "I do illegal things, too. A _lot_ more illegal than underage drinking."

"Sorry… sir," the barman whimpered. "I'll get you some vodka now."

"I'm sorry, but you have held me up for too long. I'm afraid that drink will have to wait until my next visit," Alex said as he glanced over the barman's shoulder at the clock. And without further ceremony, he walked out of _The Ursaring_, which brought an audible sigh of relief from the barman.

* * *

Alex sat on a bench in the city's park, staring up into the moon. He hated having to put on the 'sinister' disguise when he visited the bar, but it was necessary if he was to be respected during his visits. He never really liked going to _The Ursaring_, but it was the only bar in Lilycove City where a teenager (if he/she was a respected criminal, that is) could get a drink without being kicked out.

Alex thought back to his dream from last night. He didn't dream too often, and when he did, it was never in such great detail. Perhaps his conscience was the cause; it had probably decided to torment him for what he learned yesterday when he read that Operations file.

But it wasn't his fault that May and Max Maple had gotten on Team Aqua's bad side, was it?

_No_, answered his conscience, _but it's your fault for being part of Team Aqua in the first place._

But he wasn't part of Operations, the ones who actually _do_ the things Team Aqua is known for: kidnapping, stealing, and even the occasional murder.

_Maybe not, but that doesn't change the fact that you are still part of the organization that does those things._

But he had known Team Aqua did those things since before he joined. Why is he only feeling so guilty about it now?

_Maybe it had something to do with that file you read._

But the only reason he clicked on the file was because a hacker had tried to steal it.

_So what? You still read it._

But why was he feeling guilty just from reading a file?

_Maybe it's because two people that are about as old as you are probably being tortured right now._

But why would Team Aqua want to interrogate them in the first place?

_Find out for yourself. But if you want to get rid of the guilt, you know what you must do._

He stood up from the bench. He knew what he was going to do.

* * *

The elevator's doors slid open slowly, opening to a gloomy corridor. The prison level. Alex hated it. The last time he'd been here was to supervise the interrogation of one of Team Magma's hackers. It was not an experience he wanted to remember.

A guard greeted him as he stepped out of the elevator.

"What can I do for you, sir?"

Sir. One of the perks of being high up in Team Aqua. "I would like to interrogate the prisoners May Maple and Max Maple."

"And what is the purpose of this interrogation?" asked the guard, suspicious. Techies didn't normally do interrogations. They tended to avoid this floor at all costs.

"Opreations has requested that I hack into the boy's Pokenav and the girl's Poketch. I have successfully done so, but the information was encrypted in a way that isn't normally done. I would like to interrogate to discern where they got this encryption from. Should I find out, it could be extremely useful in hacking devices that are similarly encrypted," he lied.

The guard was in way over his head. He didn't even know what encryption _was_. But he did know that Alexander Flare was well-liked by Archie, and that was all the authorization he needed.

"I see," the guard said, which was clearly a lie. "Right this way, sir."

He led Alex down the hallway.

* * *

Five minutes later, Alex sat in the interrogation chamber. It was a not very well lit; the only light source was an incandescent bulb that threatened to die at any moment. The chamber appeared to be empty except for a solid steel table and the three chairs he had the guards bring in. However, Alex knew that there were plenty of bugs and cameras hidden throughout the room.

A few minutes later, the door opened, and guards dragged in May and Max. May seemed to have made no effort to resist, as if she was already resigned to her fate. Max, on the other hand, needed three guards to drag him in, and even then they were getting repeatedly punched and kicked.

The guards threw both of them unceremoniously to the floor, and then marched out. May and Max slowly picked themselves up. Alex got his first good look at them, and his heart leapt into his throat.

Their clothes were in tatters; their faces were bruised and battered; they looked starved. But still, there seemed to be a spark of defiance left in them.

"Leave us alone," said May weakly as her and Max backed into a corner of the room.

Alex didn't respond to her; instead, he spoke to the guards who were surely listening in on what was going on.

"Guards, leave us. Archie has ordered that I'm to carry out this interrogation alone, without anyone else eavesdropping," he said, once again lying. But the guards didn't know that.

He held up hand to tell May and Max to be silent. He waited another minute to be sure the guards were gone, and then he spoke, but this time in a normal voice, not in the cold monotone he usually used when around others.

"So, are you two May and Max Maple?" he asked. He knew it was a stupid question, but he needed _something_ to start the conversation with.

"What's it to you?!" yelled Max defiantly. May only nodded.

"I only wanted to be sure that the computer records were correct."

"Is that all we are, then?! Records in a computer?!" Max shot back. "Look at you! You're the only a little older than me, and probably the same age as my sister! How can you be so heartless?!"

Alex sat still, stunned. He didn't know how to respond. He only wanted to come down so he could talk to both of them, but already it seemed that Max hated him.

Max decided to take Alex's silence as an answer. "So now what are you going to do to us? Some new method of torture, huh?"

"Who said I was going to torture either of you?" Alex said quietly.

"Well, that's what you must be here for! You're a member of Team Aqua!" shouted Max as he jabbed an accusing finger in Alex's direction.

"Not for much longer," Alex whispered resignedly.

"Huh?!"

"I said, not for much longer," said Alex, more loudly this time.

"What do you mean, not for much longer?" asked May quietly, speaking for the first time.

"I'm going to help you two escape."

Both May and Max's eyes widened. "Wait, why are you going to help _us_? You're a bad guy! You're part of Team Aqua! You're part of the group that kidnapped us!" accused Max.

Alex sighed. "I know. I feel guilty for exactly that reason."

"How can we trust you? For all we know, this is probably some new trick they're playing on us!"

"I think we should trust him," said May quietly.

"Why should we trust him? He's a criminal!" said Max.

Alex didn't say a word. Instead, he withdrew from his pocket nine Poke Balls, handing six of them to May and three of them to Max.

"Are these… our Pokemon?" whispered an awed Max.

"Yes. If you don't trust me, you may call out your Pokemon right now, have them attack me, and then both of you may try your hand at escaping," said Alex as he closed his eyes, expecting to be hit by an attack at any moment.

He waited a full minute, but to his surprise, he hadn't felt any pain. He cautiously opened his eyes to find May and Max smiling at him.

"What? Aren't you going to have your Pokemon kill me?" he asked, confused.

"No. Since you gave us our Pokemon without knowing if we trusted you first, you must be either really stupid or really sincere about helping us escape," said Max.

"I hope it's the second one," said May, and she giggled.

"So when do we escape?"

Suddenly, the lone light bulb in the room flickered and went out, as did all of the other electrical devices in the building.

"Right now," answered Alex as he pulled a flashlight out of his pocket.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Pokemon and am in no way affiliated with the various parties who do.**

Alex, May, and Max were sprinting up the skyscraper's main staircase, the flashlight's beam casting malevolent-looking shadows on the walls.

For Alex, it had been a simple matter to disable the building's electrical system, and by extension the security system, since it was computer monitored and connected to the very same network that he controlled. It was also a simple matter to permanently delete the _Operation Kaio Blitzkrieg_ file from the main database, but not before he copied it and emailed it to himself, and then to the Pokemon Ranger HQ. But deleting the file from the backup database was not quite so easy.

The backup database was designed by Alex himself, with the greatest care given to security of the files contained within the database's memory. It was not connected to any network, nor did it possess any ability to do so, which rendered it impossible for any outsider to hack. The only entrance to the room containing the system was guarded at all times by at least six human and Pokemon guards, and none of them had access to the room. The only people who did have access were Alex and other trusted computer technicians.

However, none of these compared to the safeguards that Alex programmed into the system. He made it so that only files that were created on a computer owned by a Team Aqua member could be uploaded into the system, and even then, they were still subjected to rigorous software scans. And thanks to some special modification by Alex, it became impossible for the computer to delete the files it contained, and next to impossible for the files to be moved. But "next to impossible" is the key.

Every programmer leaves himself/herself a 'back door' into their own program, should they ever want to take advantage of their program for nefarious purposes. Alex is no exception. While it is impossible for files to be deleted from the database, if you know how to do it, it is possible for a file to be moved. Which is just what he did. Now, the _Operation Kaio Blitzkrieg_ file was lying buried underneath a formidable mound of files that contained information about last year's weather patterns.

"How much farther?" panted Max.

"According to the blueprints, the prison level is five stories underground."Alex paused as he took a quick glance down the stairwell. "It shouldn't be much farther."

Sure enough, the beam of the flashlight illuminated the outline of a door a few moments later. Before he opened it, Alex spun around and spoke to May and Max.

"Okay, I used the excuse 'Archie wants to see you two' with the guards downstairs, and since they're supposed to have to more muscle than brains, it worked without a problem. But up here, it will be much more difficult because I won't be taking you anywhere near Archie's office, and people will start to get suspicious. If it comes to a fight, just stay back and let me handle it."

"No way!" protested May and Max simultaneously.

"We can't let you do this by yourself! This is our escape, too!" said May.

"Yeah! You're gonna need all the help you can get if you get into trouble, and our Pokemon can help!" added Max.

"Who said anything about using Pokemon?" replied Alex as he cautiously opened the door, leaving May and Max to follow in his wake, wondering what he meant.

Alex led May and Max over to one of the skyscraper's side entrances, but unlike he predicted, people didn't seem to get suspicious. This was probably attributed to the fact that it was near midnight, and thus many of the people who normally bustled about the hallways weren't present. Those who were present were running about in chaos, trying to find a light source in the darkened building. Alex had the sense to turn off his flashlight, and instead grabbed May and Max's wrists as he led them to one of the outside doors, relying on memory alone.

His memory served him well. They turned around a corner to find themselves in front of a transparent glass door that to the outside. But they weren't alone.

"HEY! What're you doin'?!" shouted a guard, who stood next to the door. "There is an emergency! Nobody goes in or out until-"

He never finished. Quick as a flash, Alex ran up to the guard and punched him in the gut, effectively winding him and causing him to fall back gasping for breath. Before the guard could recover, Alex spun him around and slammed his head into the wall, knocking him unconscious.

"What the… how did you…?" sputtered Max, shock evident on his face. May stayed silent, but it was clear she just as shocked as Max was.

"I'll explain later," said Alex, and without further ado, smashed his elbow into the glass door, shattering it. He walked through the now-empty door frame, leaving a stunned May and Max in his wake.

"Come on, come on! We don't have much time!" he said impatiently.

May and Max walked through the doorframe and stood next to him, more shocked than before.

Alex pulled a miniaturized Pokeball from his pocket, enlarged it, and tossed it into the air, releasing the Pokemon held inside.

"TROPIUS!" it bellowed into the night. May and Max flinched at the noise, but Alex stayed calm.

"Hey, Saur. Are you ready for a long flight?"

"TROP!" it roared in response.

"Okay then, let's climb aboard," he said as he gestured for May and Max to climb onto the Tropius's back.

* * *

Saur sailed silently through the night sky, being careful to cause his passengers and discomfort, one in particular.

"Alex, are you okay?" asked May concernedly. She was worried. Their rescuer hadn't talked since they had gotten into the air, and he kept his eyes locked straight ahead.

"Not really," replied Alex truthfully. "As we speak, we are probably being hunted by Team Aqua, and if not now, we will be in less than two days. And don't forget that I'm a wanted criminal. The police have been looking for me for years."

"What? You mean, back in the cell, you actually meant it?" asked Max, fear creeping into his voice.

This was not unnoticed by Alex. "Not that kind of criminal!" he said hastily. He wasn't sure if he should tell them about his criminal activities; they could go straight to the police at the next town they stopped at. But he had rescued them, so it's unlikely that they would turn him in.

"I'm not what you think of when hear 'Team Aqua'. I don't kidnap people, or steal, or kill people. I'm a computer hacker." He paused to let his words sink in. "I've hacked into many computers, and screwed up a lot of things. Remember that big scare a few years ago, when someone had hacked it the Pokemon League HQ's computers? That was me."

"That was you?" May repeated, disbelief clear on her face.

Max also had an expression of disbelief, but it was mixed with admiration. "No way! Those were some of the most secure computers in the world! When I heard about that, I pictured the hacker as being some dark, mysterious guy who spent all of his time in front of a giant computer screen. I didn't think it'd be someone who was as old as my sister! How do you know so much about computers?"

Unexpectedly, May and Max saw Alex's eyes start to water. "I'd rather not talk about it," he said as he turned his head away from them.

After a few moments of silence, Max piped up again. "So… where are we going, exactly?"

"Your home. Petalburg City. If the wind currents stay as they are, we should get there within three days," he answered, without turning around.

"We're going to see… mom and dad," said Max, stunned. Tears starting to well up in his eyes.

"Yes, Max… we're finally going to see them again," said May slowly as she pulled him into a hug, tears starting to flow from her eyes as well.

* * *

The sun just starting to creep up on the horizon when Saur landed in a clearing, in the middle of a dense forest.

"Where are we?" asked May as she jumped to the ground.

"We are about five miles south of Fortree City," replied Alex as he too disembarked. "Saur landed next to one of the many hideouts we created when used to wander through Hoenn."

"What do you mean by 'wander'?" asked Max as he stepped to the ground.

"Err… I'll answer that later," said Alex as he returned Saur his Poke Ball, and then began to led May and Max through the trees.

After walking for about five minutes, Alex finally found what he was looking for: a tree that had once stood proud upon an enormous boulder, its roots once wrapped around it like hair on a head. However, most of the boulder had crumbled away, yet the tree's roots maintained the shape of the once mighty rock, creating a hollow of sorts.

"Well, here we are," pronounced Alex as he led them inside the root-hollow. "There are some supplies that I left here, in case I had to make any future visits," he said as he turned on a dusty old lantern that was lying in the corner, filling the hollow with light.

Piled neatly off to the side were some worn blankets, and next to them were some neatly stacked cans of food. On the opposite side of the hollow, a shelf of sorts had been carved out, and on it were some eating utensils, a can opener, and a pack of matches. Alex grabbed the matches and stuck them in his pocket.

"I'm going to go start a fire so we can cook some food," he said as he walked out, giving May and Max no time to protest.

"You know, May, we could just ditch him right now. Fortree City is only five miles north. We hike there, go to the police station, and get back to mom and dad even faster," said Max, once he was sure that Alex was out of earshot.

"I don't think we should do that," she responded quietly.

"Why not? I know he rescued us, and we owe him our lives, but it's like we're HIS captives now. You saw what he did to that Team Aqua guard. Do you want him to do that to us?"

"I don't think he's that kind of person, Max. He just seems really lonely. It's like he never had any friends before…" she let her voice trail off as she let her eyes wander around the hollow.

"But we need to think for ourselves, too! What if he's just going to take us back to Team Aqua?"

May didn't answer. She picked up a dusty brown envelope that she spotted lying on the ground. It matched the color of the ground nearly perfectly; she had almost missed it. She opened it to reveal a single sheet of paper. Its left side was ragged and torn, as if it had been ripped out of a notebook.

Curiosity overcoming both of them, they both started to read it, with Max looking over May's shoulder.

_Date: ?????_

_Location: About 5 miles south of Fortree City, give or take a mile or two._

_I wish I could date this document, but I haven't looked at a single calendar since I've ran away from home, and I've lost track of the sunrises. I can only guess that I've been wandering Hoenn for about two years._

_To all of my fellow travelers upon the roads of Hoenn: Should you find yourself in need of shelter and happen upon this place, feel free to borrow some of the supplies I have placed here in anticipation of my future visits. If you do take some of my supplies, please add some of your own to this store, and thus keep it stocked for other travelers._

_Personal: I don't know when I will return, or even if I will return here at all. Morale among my Pokemon and I is low, and I don't know where we'll go from here. Possibly on to Lilycove City, perhaps? And after that? Who knows? Maybe I'll get lucky and find a kind family willing to adopt a poor, pathetic child. Or maybe I'm destined to be alone forever, uncared for and unloved… _

_-Alex Flare_


End file.
